1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an open-coil heater assembly and, more specifically, to an open-coil heater assembly having a helically-coiled heating element supported by insulators.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,619, issued Nov. 5, 1974, discloses on open-coil electric heater in which a helically coiled electrical resistance wire is supported on a metal support through ceramic insulators. The ceramic insulators are configured to receive metal clips to support the ceramic insulators and have slots at the ends thereof to receive and hold a portion of the coiled resistance wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,399, issued Feb. 10, 1981, discloses an open-coil electric heater wherein an electrical resistance heater coil is supported on a ceramic insulator which has a vertical slot extending transverse to side walls from an end portion of the insulator. The side walls have a lip formed from an undercut on each side to retain a coil portion at an acute angle to the side walls. The wire must be twisted to fit through the transverse slot.